The Ranger of Konoha
by Samurai441
Summary: In a world ruled by a matriarchal society of Kunoichi one young boy dreams of adventure and excitement and a story book from the Sandaime Hokage changes the course of history. Story based off the First Male Nin by Nightmare's before Winter and the Fox Boss. Naruto/Harem
1. Chapter 1

**The Ranger of Konoha**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Naruto, Fire Emblem or Rangers Apprentice. **Credit for the General Idea of this story goes to **Nightmares Around Winter **and **The Fox Boss**.

**Chapter One:**** Rangers and Bedtime Stories.**

"Naruto I've already told you, the bow isn't a real Kunoichi weapon. It just isn't useful for ninja missions." A young brown haired seven year old girl huffed. A young boy with spikey blonde hair and cerulean eyes stuck his tongue out at her as he bent a supple stick into a curve and tied a long rope-like stalk from the top of the stick to the bottom, making a rudimentary bow.

"You just don't get how awesome bows are Ten-Chan." The blonde six year old pouted, "It's true that you need a bit more practise with a bow than you do with most distanced weapons but bows are super cool looking!" The blonde cried happily. Tenten sighed and patted the twin buns she had her hair tied up into, "Naruto, bows take too long to fire and you have to keep an eye on how many arrows you have." Tenten said patiently.

Naruto grinned and ran his fingers through his hair, "And you don't have to keep an eye on how many kunai and shuriken you have?"

Tenten sighed, "I suppose that's true but you have to carry around a bow and quiver and you have to maintain your bow, with a kunai you just carry them around in your pouch and then throw them when you need them." She said heatedly.

Naruto sighed, he knew arguing with Tenten when she got like this was pointless: she loved her weapons but for some reason really didn't like the bow. On the other hand Naruto loved the idea of the bow. Naruto had been smitten with the idea of the long bow after his Baa-san Hiruko Sarutobi had given him a story book for his last birthday. His Baa-san had said the book was written by a Kunoichi who had travelled across the Ryūha mountain range that separated the Elemental Countries from the rest of the world. His storybook had many stories of the different warriors that lived in the western countries such as Knights, Archers, Berserkers, Pirates, Myrmidons, Warriors and Cavaliers. But Narutos favourite Stories were about Rangers the courageous archers who rode into battle and picked off their targets from Horseback. One such warrior he had read about was Gerik: A mercenary Ranger who led a group of 50 bandits on a chase through a dense forest before he ambushed and killed them. Of course Naruto had never seen a Longbow as in the elemental nations the bow was seen as a hunting tool rather than a weapon of war.

Naruto grinned, "Ah well I'll just have to prove that the bow is awesome!" Tenten sighed, "And how will you do that? I've never seen a Kunoichi use a bow before."

Naruto shrugged, "I'll just have to get a bow of my own and then I'll start doing missions for Baa-san." He replied. Tenten giggled, "Naruto boys can't be Kunoichi they don't have chakra!" She said as she tried to stifle her laughter.

Naruto chuckled with her, "I never said I was going to be a Kunoichi Ten-chan, I'm going to be a powerful Mercenary like Gerik!" He proclaimed. Tenten shook her head, "Naruto, Gerik isn't real he's just a character in your story book." She sighed softly.

Naruto shook his head quickly, "Nuh uh, Baa-san said it was based on a true story! So Gerik really is real!" He asserted. Tenten smiled at the younger boy's enthusiasm, "Ok Naruto Gerik is real. Now let's go find Lei I'm sure she'll be willing to play tag with us."

Naruto smiled happily at the thought, "Yeah! Let's go find Lei-Chan!" He said enthusiastically. Naruto grinned at thought of playing with one of his only friends; if someone was willing to spend time with him he would always be willing to hang out with them. Of course the only people who did hang out with him often were Tenten, Lei and his Baa-Chan Hiruko Sarutobi. But because Baa-Chan was the Sandaime Hokage she couldn't always play with Naruto. But Naruto didn't mind because she still took him out to eat ramen sometimes and bought him birthday presents. Naruto smiled at the memory of the last Christmas present his Baa-Chan bought him. Naruto had always wanted to be a cool ninja like his Baa-Chan but boys couldn't be ninja because their bodies couldn't handle chakra for some reason. _'I wish I paid attention when Baa-Chan explained it…something about BNA.'_ Naruto pondered.

But Naruto didn't mind, if he couldn't be an awesome ninja like his Baa-Chan he would be an awesome mercenary like the Heroes in his books. He was determined to become a Ranger and a famous one at that. He wanted to see the world and met all kinds of different people, and maybe when he's done he could settle down and start a family.

Of course, besides being a Ranger, he wanted to be powerful Mercenary. He was bullied a lot, mostly by the boys but there were times were he met a girl that kept harassing him, so that led to him sticking close to the books, Hiruko taught him how to read. His favourite was definitely the story book she got him for his birthday. He loved the stories about the Rangers in one story there was a Ranger who was such a good shot he could shoot the wings off a fly at 400 yards away. Naruto grinned at the thought, one day he would prove that he could be just as good.

**Five Years Later**

"Have a safe trip Naruto-chan! Be careful and don't trust strangers!" Hiruko instructed firmly. The now eleven year old boy smiled patiently, "I know Baa-Chan, trust me I'll be fine." Naruto chuckled. Hiruko glanced over Naruto checking he was completely prepared. He had a quiver of arrows tied to his back and a bow slung over his black sleeveless shirt. A dagger was sheathed against his black cargo pants clad leg and black leather boots finished his ensemble.

Naruto sighed; Hiruko had become a little overbearing in the last year. Ever since the patron of the orphanage he stayed in kicked him out for no good reason the Hokage had been keeping a close eye on the young man she saw as an adoptive-grandson. Since then Naruto had been living alone in a small apartment that the Sandaime had bought for him. Naruto didn't really mind being alone, it certainly beat living in the orphanage where all of the other boys sneered at him and called him names. The orphanage caretaker had claimed he didn't have the room for Naruto anymore but Hiruko knew better, the caretaker just hated Naruto like the rest of the civilian population. But since his eviction from the orphanage Naruto had made a fair few new friends, the majority of them girls, seeing as most boys hated Naruto almost instinctually.

Hiruko thought about it for a moment, '_The most likely reason girls don't hate Naruto-chan is that Kunoichi understand Fuinjutsu and don't see him as the Kyuubi and the older Kunoichi don't warn their children away from him.'_

Hiruko nodded in acceptance of her theory, as only women could use chakra men obviously had no need to study Fuinjutsu so they didn't understand the sealing ritual Naruto was used in. As men carried the X-chromosome they only had recessive genes containing chakra and thus they were incapable of sensing or using their chakra.

Because of this they lived in a Matriarchal society, where everything is run by women. Women comprised all of the Kunoichi corps, women comprised all of the key government seats and women lead their Ninja clans. Women ran everything and the majority of clans saw men as a servant class. Men stayed at home and raised the kids, men did the housework and men listened to their wives.

Of course clan heads didn't take male husbands, clan heads are forced by law to only have a female spouse to ensure the continuation of their clan bloodlines. A special Jutsu had been created many years ago that allowed a woman to develop male genitalia temporally to ensure female offspring, but every once in a while a boy is born from such a relationship. In most cases the boy would be disowned and adopted by a civilian family or made into a servant with the duty to ensure the future of the clan.

Of course Naruto was one such case, born to Minako Namikaze and her wife Kushina Uzumaki, this was the life he would have had if his parents had survived the Kyuubi's attack. His mother's died sealing the nine tailed demon into him at birth.

When news was heard about the tailed-beast sealed into the boy most of the ninjas welcomed the boy but most of the civilians were screaming for his blood. Officially Hiruko couldn't reveal Naruto's true heritage due to his gender, as a male he's officially a civilian, but if he'd been a girl he would have been considered to be a Kunoichi advocate and therefore be able to inherit receive both of his mothers' inheritance.

Of course Hiruko and the Kunoichi council kept a close eye on Naruto but even they couldn't watch him once he left the village.

"Are you sure you want to do this Naruto?" Hiruko asked again. Naruto laughed, "Yes Baa-Chan I'm sure. If I don't leave the village and see the world I can't write about my adventures now can I?" he grinned. Hiruko shook her head fondly as Naruto patted the pack she knew contained his journal. Naruto had insisted that he would take his journal with him on his trip so that she could read about his travels.

"Stay safe Naruto…and stick to the roads!" Hiruko called as Naruto began to walk off. Naruto grinned as he waved, "I'll be fine Baa-Chan!"

**3 Years Later**

Naruto Uzumaki sprinted along the forests paths with his bow strapped to his back. His attire had changed a lot since his departure from Konohagakure three years ago. Gone were his black sleeveless shirt and cargo pants as well as the sandals he wore. Now he had a long sleeved ocean blue shirt on with a brown leather bracer on his left arm, his Cargo pants were now white and had many pockets, a beautifully crafted sword hung from his right hip in a black sheathe and Brown knee high boots finished his look. Naruto cursed as he rolled to the side to avoid the Kunai that had been thrown at him. Naruto dived behind a tree and drew his bow as a kunai impacted on the tree he hid behind. Naruto nocked an arrow and peered out from behind a tree, Naruto quickly moved back into cover as a shuriken whistled through the space his head had inhabited a moment ago.

Naruto sighed, "Oh shit that was close." Naruto took another peek around the tree and fired off an arrow. He heard it impact with a _thunk_, "Kirigakure Kunoichi? What have I done to piss them off?" He pondered. Naruto dived out from behind his tree and took off running again the two Kunoichi close on his tail. Naruto nocked an arrow and fired at the closer of the two before sprinting forward and drawing another arrow. The kiri Kunoichi jumped out of the way as Naruto's arrow whistled past the two. Naruto ran forward and grinned as he saw the small rope bridge signifying the border between Nami no Kuni and Hi no Kuni, the Kiri Kunoichi couldn't follow him across that border. Even if they did follow him to Nami No Kuni the Kiri Kunoichi wouldn't dare trespass on Hi No Kuni soil and risk starting a War with Konoha.

Naruto sighed in relief as he finished crossing the bridge; he turned and watched as the two Kunoichi stared at him from across the border, the two ninjas whispered to each other before they seemed to come to an agreement. The two Kunoichi drew their kunai and began to walk across the bridge. Naruto panicked, _'They're crossing into enemy territory to get me? What did I do to piss them off that much?'_ He thought.

Naruto nocked another arrow and fired it at the rope on the left side of the bridge, his arrow pierced the rope and left side of the bridge dropped, the two Kunoichi stood on the bridge sideways smirking. _'Fucking surface walking techniques!'_ Naruto inwardly raged.

Naruto quickly fired another arrow at the right hand side rope, his arrow cut the rope and he watched with satisfaction as the bridge, and the Kunoichi on it tumbled into the river below. Naruto's eyes widened as one of the kiri ninja threw a Kunai before she fell. Naruto drew the full length of his bow back and focused on the Kunai flying towards him.

He felt the world slow and his heartbeat quicken, his eyes itched for a moment and he paused taking in the wind speed and direction as well as the Kunai's velocity. Naruto released his arrow and let out a breath as the world sped back up. His arrow slammed into the Kunai in mid-air and both projectiles fell to the ground. Naruto let out a huff of relief and slung his bow across his back before turning towards Konoha's general direction and walking away.

**Konoha:** Three Hours Later

Naruto sighed in relief as he saw the massive gates of Konohagakure no Sato, no Kunoichi would dare invade another Hidden Village just for him. _'Yep,' _Naruto thought to himself,_ 'Konoha means safety.'_ All of a sudden Naruto found himself face-down in the dirt with his arms pinned behind his back and a weight in between his shoulders.

"What the hell?" Naruto asked angrily turning his head. Two ANBU black ops stood watching as the third hefted him to his feet after handcuffing and disarming him. The ANBU in the Falcon mask spoke up, "The Hokage ordered us to detain you should we find you. We will now bring you to see her; please do not try to escape." She said. Naruto nodded, "Yeah whatever, but are the handcuffs necessary?" he groaned.

The Falcon ANBU thought for a moment before releasing the restraints, "There we go no handcuffs. But I'm warning you try to flee and I'll handcuff your feet too." She replied. Naruto nodded as they began their trek to the Hokages office. Naruto relaxed as he passed many of the places he knew before he left. Naruto turned to face the Falcon ANBU, "Do you mind if I ask why I'm being detained? As far as I know I haven't done anything wrong." He asked.

The Racoon mask ANBU spoke up, "It's for your own safety really, Falcon just got a little…enthusiastic." She chuckled awkwardly. Naruto shook his head, he could feel the sweat drop and embarrassed face he was sure Racoon had underneath her mask. Naruto glanced over at Falcon to see her scratching the back of her head sheepishly, "Yeah…Sorry about that." She said embarrassedly. Naruto chuckled, "It's fine, no harm done."

The Falcon ANBU knocked on the door to the Hokage's office. Naruto allowed a grin to spread across his face as he heard his Baa-Chan's voice for the first time in three years.

"Come in." She called. Falcon opened the door and walked in as Naruto, Racoon and Tiger filed into the room after her. Naruto took a look at his Baa-Chan; the years hadn't really aged her much. Sure she had a few more grey hairs but her hair still had traces of the ebony locks she had in her youth. Naruto smiled and waved as Hiruko Sarutobi laid her eyes on her Grandson and smiled. "That'll be all ANBU." She said, "Please leave us."

Racoon and Tiger saluted and left while Falcon handed Naruto his backpack and his bow (now unstrung) before placing his sword on the Hokage's desk before saluting and leaving. Naruto waited until the door had closed before allowing a large smile to spread across his face. Hiruko Sarutobi smiled and stood up before moving around her desk and pulling Naruto into an (almost) bone crushing hug. Naruto grinned and returned the hug careful not to let his bow get in the way, "Heya Baa-Chan! How's it going?" He asked happily.

Hiruko took a step back and seemed to observe him, "I'm going well Naruto. You look well; I hope you've been eating more than ramen!" She said mock sternly. Naruto laughed as he blushed, "Baa-Chan you're embarrassing me!" He whined playfully. "Now please take a seat and let me hear about your adventures!" Hiruko smiled as she sat in her chair.

Naruto grinned and sat in the chair opposite her desk before reaching into his backpack and withdrawing a thick leather-bound book. Naruto smiled as he placed it on the desk in front of her, "I told you I'd write a story about my adventures." He smirked playfully.

Hiruko smiled softly as she caressed the book, "Yes…you did. I'm glad I'll be able to read about your exploits, it should prove to be quite the read." She said as she lit her pipe. Naruto smiled happily, "You can read that for the full and detailed version but for now I'll just give you the general rundown." Naruto said. Hiruko leaned forward as Naruto began to tell her about his travels.

"After I left Konoha I travelled through Kusagakure and Tsuchi No Kuni, I felt it wisest to avoid Iwagakure as they aren't too fond of foreigners. I hunted animals for my meals and practiced with my bow, I've gotten much better. Eventually I stopped at a small Village in Tsuchi no Kuni and stocked up on supplies before crossing the Ryūha Mountains, they were amazing Baa-Chan. The mountains seemed to go on forever and when I stood on top of one of them I'd feel like I was the only person in the world." Naruto breathed.

Hiruko smiled fondly as Naruto reminisced, she was glad Naruto had got to travel and see the world. "It took me two weeks to get across the mountains and when I did I found myself in the western lands. After travelling for another day or two I arrived in a large village called Redmere. It was an amazing place; there were so many different people and soldiers. It had a massive fortress in the centre of the village and it also had so many different places for people who needed work. They had Assassin Guilds where you could hire Hit men to do jobs for you, the Assassin guilds are run by a guild master and they only take jobs if you can prove the target is guilty of a crime. There were Bounty Houses where people went if they wanted to hire a bounty hunter to find someone. There was an Arena for people who wanted to risk their gold and their lives for fame and fortune and there were Weapons Shops and Blacksmiths who would make fine weapons for a decent price. It was amazing." Naruto exhaled.

Hiruko fought to keep the beaming grin off of her face, Naruto was acting like an excited eight year old again…and she loved it, Hiruko loved that Naruto could still be the excitable young boy he once was.

"And then there were the Mercenary guilds. Massive Barracks where you could go to hire groups of warriors to fight for you, there were so many different types of warriors there! Berserkers wielding axes the size of men, Knights in their bright armour on horseback, Myrmidons who could move quicker than the blink of an eye and there were even some Rangers!" Naruto exclaimed with his eyes sparkling.

Hiruko outright laughed at his wide-eyed expression of hero-worship. Naruto blushed and scratched the back of his neck, "Hehe I guess I get a little passionate about it huh?" He said apologetically. Hiruko shook her head, "Its fine Naruto I'm quite enjoying your story. Please continue." The Sandaime replied. Naruto grinned, "So I joined a Mercenary guild called the Valfield Mercenaries. They were really friendly and they taught me a lot. Some of the Archers and Rangers gave me archery lessons and a couple of the Myrmidons even taught me Kenjutsu. Everyone there looked out for each other and they were like a giant family.

I stayed with them doing missions and contracts for about two years before I left, which is when they all chipped in and bought me this sword." Naruto said gesturing to the Katana on the desk. Hiruko smiled and handed him the sword. Naruto grinned and unsheathed the blade, the Katanas blade was a beautiful Crimson colour and about 25 inches long and five inches wide. Its Guard was a simple black square and the handle wrappings were black, the pommel was a deep blood red.

"This is called a Wo Dao." Naruto grinned, "It's the name given to any sword forged by the Sword smith Takanaga Dao. Takanaga was a Sword master of great renown in the Western Lands, until he grew tired of fighting and decided to create rather than destroy. Wo Dao's are special because Takanaga had only ever made ten swords he deemed worthy of using until he made this one. This is the eleventh Wo Dao it was made especially for me." Naruto said proudly.

Hiruko looked at the blade carefully, "Why did Takanaga deem all of his other swords unworthy?" She asked curiously. Naruto sheathed the blade, "According to Takanaga all of his master works meaning the Wo Dao's have been cursed and blessed. He says that all of the others are beneath his standards." Naruto said solemnly. Hiruko took a puff of her pipe, "What do you mean blessed or cursed?" She asked.

Naruto caressed the handle of his Wo Dao lovingly, "Takanaga makes his swords out of a rare iron he found long ago. He has only used the iron to make eleven swords; each of those swords is special. They grant the wielder amazing abilities but are capable of driving their masters to madness if they aren't careful." Naruto explained. Hiruko shook her head as she stared at the blade before reaching out with her senses towards the blade. Hiruko quirked an eyebrow as she felt chakra coursing through the sword.

Naruto leaned forward, "What is it Baa-Chan?" he asked. Hiruko leaned back into her chair, "Your sword has its own Chakra." She said. Naruto stared at it in awe, "How? Only living things have chakra and only women have enough to actually utilise it." Naruto pondered. Hiruko looked the blade over carefully, "It's possible that the iron used for this sword was imbued with chakra, the chakra metal that the Samurai of Tetsu no Kuni use is similar. The deposits sit underneath one of the battlefields used back in the clan wars. They say ambient chakra leaked into the earth and infused the iron ore with chakra." she explained. Naruto inwardly wondered how the metal was found so far from the Elemental Nations.

Naruto shook his thoughts from his mind, "So the ANBU at the gate said you gave orders to detain me if I was seen, can I ask why?" He questioned. Hiruko nodded solemnly, "Indeed you can Naruto. It seems that you ran afoul of the Mizukage Yashura hmm?" she asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yes the Mizukage sent some of her Kunoichi after me, Kami knows why! One moment I'm displaying my Archery skills to the Mizukage and the next she's ordering her Kunoichi to grab me, any thoughts on why?" Naruto asked. Hiruko giggled perversely, "Maybe she wanted to keep you locked up as her love-slave?" She laughed.

Naruto blushed scarlet before groaning, "Eww….Baa-Chan don't talk about that! That's gross I don't want to be anyone's slave!" He whined. Sarutobi giggled before coughing, "All jokes aside Naruto, we believe that this may have something to do with why the Mizukage wanted you." She said seriously as she opened a draw and withdrew a small black book.

Sarutobi flicked the book open and handed it to Naruto before lacing her fingers together. Naruto glanced down at the bingo book entry.

**Name: Uzumaki Naruto**

**Age: 16**

**Sex: Male**

**Hair: Blonde**

**Eyes: Blue**

**Distinctive Features: Whisker Marks**

**Taijutsu: Unknown**

**Genjutsu: Unknown**

**Ninjutsu: Unknown**

**Bloodline: Unknown Doujutsu**

**Other Information: Confirmed Male Capable of using Chakra**

**Wanted in: Kirigakure – 60,000 Ryo Alive.**

Naruto stared in shock at the page in front of him before closing the bingo book and looking Hiruko in the eyes, "How…how can I have chakra? How can I have a bloodline? How…How did the Mizukage know when I didn't have any idea?" He asked.

Hiruko sighed as she leaned back into her chair, "I'm not sure Naruto. It says you have a Doujutsu…maybe you activated it during your demonstration for the Mizukage?" Hiruko replied.

Naruto paused and remembered the slight pressure and itch his eyes had when he was showing the Mizukage his archery skills. Naruto looked up at his Baa-chan and scratched his chin, "My eyes itched a little while I was aiming but aside from that I don't really know if I have a Doujutsu or not." He said honestly.

Hiruko thought for a moment before grinning, "I think I know how we can find out if you have a Doujutsu or not!" She said, "You said that you could feel your eyes itch when you concentrated on a target so if you concentrate on a single spot they may activate on your own." She explained.

Naruto nodded, "I understand that but how did I activate them? Does it have anything to do with my parents?" Naruto asked quietly. Hiruko thought for a moment before nodding gravely, "That is the most likely conclusion. Both of your parents were incredibly powerful Kunoichi and you most likely carry the Uzumaki clan bloodline." Hiruko stated.

Naruto scratched the back of his head, "So I had two mothers?" He asked. Hiruko nodded, "Yes as your mothers were Clan Heads they had to marry a woman to ensure their bloodlines were kept strong."

Naruto looked Hiruko in the eyes, "Are you going to tell me who they were?" he asked. Hiruko sighed before opening one of her desk draws, "Your maternal mothers name was Kushina Uzumaki, and she was the last of the Uzumaki clan. The Uzumaki clan all had incredibly high regeneration abilities and massive amounts of chakra." Hiruko explained.

"And my other mother?" Naruto prodded. Hiruko sighed before checking the seals around the room, seeing that the room was secured Hiruko sat back down.

"Your paternal mother was the Yondaime Hokage, Minako Namikaze. She possessed the Jinton (Swift Release) bloodline." Hiruko said deadpan.

"M-My mother…was the Fourth Hokage?" Naruto asked with total shock in his eyes. She nodded as she continued, "She was your paternal mother, the one who fathered you, Kushina was your maternal mother, as in she gave birth to you."

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair, everyone knew who Minako Namikaze was. The woman was a legend for almost singlehandedly defeating Iwagakure in the third shinobi war with the use of her Hiraishin technique, her renown was cemented when she defeated the Kyuubi fifteen years ago.

"So you think that because both of my parents had massive chakra levels and bloodlines, I can use chakra?" Naruto asked sceptically. Hiruko's mind immediately thought of the Kyuubi, she could tell him now but after learning who his parents were he needed time to process everything.

"Yes. Your Uzumaki genes are most likely the reason you can use chakra. They were rumoured to have a Doujutsu but no one ever confirmed it." Hiruko explained.

"Thank you for telling me," Naruto said with a bow. Hiruko just smiled at that boy. "It's alright Naruto-kun," she answered, "it means a lot that I can tell you the truth finally." She said as she felt a cold, dead feeling in her gut. "Of course, I can't let you leave Konoha any more at your leisure." Naruto gaped at her. "Pardon?"

Hiruko sighed, "Naruto, you're the first male capable of using chakra. That makes you a huge asset to the village; I can't just let you leave." She replied. Naruto shrugged, "Then hire me! I'm a mercenary; as long as I get paid I'd be happy to work for Konoha."

Hiruko shook her head, "Naruto, if the choice was mine I'd hire you in a heartbeat however the Elder council and Danieru wouldn't allow you to remain independent."

Naruto sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, "How about we talk about the terms of my contract before we decide anything. I'm willing to listen to your thoughts but my basic contract idea is that: 1. Until the Hokage herself releases me from my contract or breaks one of the stipulations I will work for Konohagakure. 2. I will only follow orders from the Hokage and my immediate superiors, Not the Elder council. 3. I can terminate the contract if I'm ordered to do something I find morally wrong, for example: Killing children or harming innocents. 4. Should you or Konoha's council decide to enact the Clan Restoration Act I get to choose my wives. And that's pretty much everything I can really want." Naruto finished. Hiruko thought about the terms of Naruto's contact, "Very well Naruto we have an accord, you will be paid the usual mission rates for any assignments you do for us. I believe that the Elder Council will find these terms satisfactory." She replied. Naruto grinned, "So where will I be staying?"

Hiruko smiled as she got up and walked to the picture of the Yondaime Hokage. Hiruko swung the picture to the side and opened the hidden safe behind the photo before withdrawing a set of keys.

"I believe it's time you received your inheritance. These are the keys to the Namikaze/Uzumaki compound. The front gate also has a blood seal to repel intruders, to open it just wipe some of you blood across the gate. Sleep well Naruto because tomorrow you begin your training. Be at training ground seventeen tomorrow morning at nine o'clock."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Ranger of Konoha**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Naruto, Fire Emblem or Rangers Apprentice. **Credit for the General Idea of this story goes to **Nightmares Around Winter **and **The** **Fox Boss**, Thanks guys.

**Chapter Two:**** Learning the ropes**

Naruto yawned as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Naruto had been introduced to the caffeinated beverage by Will: one of the rangers who had trained him while he was part of the Valfield Mercenaries. Since then Naruto had always carried a large supply of coffee beans everywhere he went and had already planted a couple of the beans in the backyard of his new home. Naruto grinned as he sat in his chair at the dining room table. As the house had been locked down since the death of his parents it still had all of its furnishings and only required a bit of dusting. Naruto finished his coffee and placed the empty mug in the sink before grabbing his bow, quiver and Wo Dao before heading towards Training ground seventeen.

Naruto sighed as he walked down the streets, _'The more things change, the more they stay the same.'_ Naruto pointedly ignored the glares that the majority of the civilians were sending him. Naruto had almost forgotten what it felt like to be hated for no apparent reason. Naruto couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the predatory glances many of the Kunoichi were sending him. Most males would have enjoyed the looks that women were sending him but Naruto really disliked the fact that they were interested in his looks and not his personality or skills. Naruto sighed and continued on towards Training Ground seventeen wishing he was back with the Valfield Mercenaries.

Naruto arrived at the training grounds to find an unusual Kunoichi waiting there for him. The woman was tall and curvy with black hair in a bowl cut and large eyebrows. She wore a flak jacket over a tight green tracksuit with orange arm and leg warmers. Naruto coughed politely to gain her attention. The woman turned towards him before giving him a large (almost blinding) smile.

"Yosh! Hello Naruto-san, I am Maito Gaia! And I will be training you in Taijutsu." She said exuberantly giving him a thumbs up. Naruto smiled amusedly at her strange mannerisms before bowing respectfully, "A pleasure to meet you Gaia-sensei, I hope to learn a lot from you." He said. Naruto was taken off guard when the woman hugged him to her generous bust suddenly, "You are quite the youthful young man aren't you! I'm sure my teachings will help make you a splendid ninja." She cried comically. Naruto carefully extracted himself from her embrace blushing, "Erm…Yes, thank you. Now may we begin?" He replied diplomatically. Gaia gave a cheerful smile as she pulled some weights out of the bag beside her, "Here first of all put these on."

**Hokage Building:**** Same time.**

Hiruko Sarutobi and the Shinobi council watched Naruto train with Gaia through the Hokages Crystal Ball Jutsu. The young man was doing admirably against the Taijutsu specialist even with the total of Fifty kilo weights strapped to his arms and legs. The head of the Akimichi clan whistled as Naruto dodged a vicious kick from his sensei.

"I'm surprised Naruto's doing so well against Gaia. Keeping up with her isn't easy even when she's holding back." Choko Akimichi said. The curvy (and admittedly heavyset) woman had long auburn hair flowing down her back in waves and was a gentle soul. Shikio Nara sighed as she watched Naruto go flying backwards after taking a kick to the chest.

"Poor Naruto, training with Gaia is troublesome; she's far too energetic for my tastes." The raven haired beauty groaned. Shikio Nara was the head of the Nara clan. The woman was quite slender and had her raven locks pulled back into an easy ponytail, she had dark eyes and two scars on the right side of her face.

Inoira Yamanaka smiled, "Think of it this way, the more training he gets in with Gaia the more likely he is to survive the missions to come." The Yamanaka clan head stated.

The blonde haired blue eyed woman smiled as she watched Naruto pull himself out of a small crater in the ground and rush Gaia again.

"You have to give him points for tenacity." Tsume Inuzuka said.

Tsume Inuzuka was the head of the Inuzuka clan, the clan of canine experts. Tsume had wild shaggy brown hair, chocolate brown eyes and two red fang marks on her cheeks. Asahiko Hyuga nodded worriedly beside Tsume, "True but I do hope he doesn't get hurt too badly." She fretted. Asahiko was the head of the Hyuga clan and had long silky black hair pulled into a bun and pale lavender pupil less eyes.

A small cough interrupted Asahiko's worrying, "Naruto will be fine; aside from the Uzumaki clan's regenerative abilities Naruto has access to _its_ regenerative powers as well. I doubt anything short of a beheading could kill Naruto." Shiba Aburame said soothingly. The usually stoic Aburame Clan head was calmly watching the sparring match between Naruto and Gaia. Shiba smirked as Naruto dodged a right hook from Gaia and returned with a low sweeping kick. Shiba Aburame had tousled brown shoulder length hair and her brown eyes were covered by her sunglasses.

"True enough and I doubt Gaia would go all out against Naruto-kun anyway." Mikoto Uchiha said. Mikoto Uchiha had taken the position of Uchiha clan head after her daughter Itomi Uchiha had killed the rest of her clan. Luckily for Mikoto she had been taking her youngest daughter Sasuki to the hospital when the attack happened and she avoided the massacre. Mikoto had long raven hair that hung down to the small of her back, pale creamy skin and expressive onyx eyes.

Hiruko watched as Gaia hit Naruto with a lightning fast kick, "He'll be working as a mercenary for us. The idea of a male Kunoichi won't go down well with the Elder and Civilian councils; if he starts being called the first male ninja people will take notice. But if he's just a mercenary any rumours of him using chakra will be written off as simple gossip." She explained.

Tsume scratched the back of her head nervously, "That explanation won't hold for too long…especially if you have Naruto taking missions outside of the Village. Eventually someone will blab and the story will leak out to the Civilian and Elder councils and even other Hidden Villages."

Hiruko nodded absentmindedly as she watched Naruto dodge another kick, "Hopefully by then Naruto will have learned enough to hold his own and by the time the Civilian and Elder councils find out there'll be nothing they can do about it. I've already sent Naruto's contract to the Daimyo to be signed, that way there's no way for the council to bend it to their own whims."

**Training Ground 17**

Naruto huffed as he collapsed onto the ground exhaustedly. The sparring with Gaia-sensei had definitely worn him down and Naruto knew that thanks to the ridiculous amounts of weight he now wore he would be sore tomorrow.

"Well done Naruto-kun! With the amount of hard work your currently putting in you'll be up to scratch in no time." Gaia said happily. Naruto stared at the Jonin incredulously wondering how in the nine circles of hell she hadn't broken a sweat.

"With the amount of effort I put in today I'll be surprised if I'll be able to move tomorrow." He muttered. Naruto turned slowly as he heard a low chuckle behind him. Standing fifteen metres behind him was a rather tanned Jonin wearing standard Jonin gear, with the exception of the small white sash around her waist with the kanji for fire on it, marking her as a former member of the Guardian Kunoichi twelve. Her black hair was cut to shoulder length and her fringe was parted revealing warm brown eyes.

The woman strolled forward casually before raising a cigarette to her mouth.

"Don't worry about tomorrow too much Naruto-san, because tomorrow I'll be teaching you the basics of chakra control. I'm Akina Sarutobi by the way." The Jonin said coolly.

Naruto's eyes glinted in recognition, "So you're Baa-Chan's daughter huh?" Akina chuckled, "Indeed I am. I was just dropping by to tell you to meet me at the academy tomorrow at Nine o'clock. We'll be using room 110 for your studies."

Naruto sighed as he lay down on the grass, "Damn…book smarts were never my strong point. I bet my guild-mates aren't worrying about paperwork."

**Meanwhile In Redmere**

A young man with messy raven hair looked down at the mission request forms in front of him and sneezed, "Damn Naruto….I bet he doesn't have to do paperwork….I want to go on a job." He sulked.

**Training Ground 17**

Akina chuckled again, "Doubtful, all professional mercenary groups have to deal with mission requests, mission reports and budgets." She explained. Naruto sighed, "Why do we need paperwork…it's so…troublesome." He complained. Akina smirked, "Careful Naruto, keep that up and you'll start to sound like a Nara."

Naruto grinned, "I wouldn't mind watching clouds all day now that I think about it." Akina shook her head as she finished her cigarette, "Really I thought you were supposed to be hyperactive not a layabout."

Naruto sighed tiredly, "Anyone would want to just relax and do nothing after a training session with Gaia-sensei." He replied exhaustedly. Akina let out a snort, "Ain't that the truth. Anyway Naruto I'll see you tomorrow, don't be late." Naruto grinned exhaustedly, "Got it sensei. Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go soak in an onsen for an hour or two, my bruises have bruises."

Akina chuckled and waved as she walked away leaving a battered Naruto and an eager Gaia. "Well would you care for another spar before leaving Naruto-kun?" The Jonin grinned with a thumb up.

Naruto groaned and fell onto his back, "Just leave me to die."

**Kunoichi Academy Room 110 :** The next day

Naruto sat patiently as he stared up at the clock hanging over the blackboard while he waited for Akina to arrive. Naruto sighed as he realised he would be doing that a lot today, academics and book smarts were never his strong suit, Naruto was a hands on kind of guy, give him a fight any day. This sentiment was common amongst the Valfield Mercenaries of course it had annoyed the Guild master to no end when half assed mission reports and childish scribbles were handed in, once Naruto had even seen one of the slower axeman hand in a small cartoonish representation of the mission.

Naruto was snapped out of his thoughts when the door opened to reveal Akina with an armful of books. Naruto sighed forlornly at the sight of so much information and once again considered whether the pay was worth it before discarding the thought, he had signed a contract and Valfield Mercenaries always honoured their contracts.

"Why so depressed Naruto-Chan?" Akina grinned teasingly. Naruto felt his face heat up at her playful coo before he forced his hormones down, "Learning all this is so much hassle, I work better with demonstrations." He groaned.

Akina grinned, "Yeah I was the same, unfortunately to become a certified ninja you have to pass an academic test. I never saw the point seeing as book smarts won't keep you alive but it's a requirement that was passed by the council so we have to abide by it." She explained. Naruto sighed as he opened a book titled 'Chakra theory and uses' by Natsumi Akechi. Naruto flicked through the pages apathetically before he sighed again before staring up at the clock. Only three minutes had passed since Akina's arrival and Naruto was already bored.

Akina grinned as she watched Naruto fidget and sigh as he tried to read the book, it was amusing to see someone so uncomfortable with the idea of sitting still and reading, even her niece Konohamara was able to sit still and read as long as you told her it would make her a great Kunoichi.

Naruto grimaced as he reread a line in the book before he closed the tome and looked up at Akina, "Isn't there a book on Chakra that doesn't ramble on about DNA and the effects of the environment on Chakra?" He asked. Akina grinned as she puffed on her cigarette, "Dunno but that's the one you're supposed to read. Get to it Naruto-kun." Naruto opened the book forlornly before shooting a glance at the clock.

Five minutes had passed. Naruto looked around the room and sighed tiredly before he felt the niggling sensation that he had forgotten something that would end up biting him in the ass.

**Unknown Training Ground**

Elsewhere a bun haired Kunoichi stewed in righteous feminine fury as rumours of the young man's return reached her, "So he's been back for two days and hasn't even said hello….Naruto-kun you are in for a world of hurt." She murmured ominously.

**Authors Note:** Hey everyone welcome to my rewrite of The Ranger of Konoha. I've made some corrections to chapter one before reposting it. This is just a small chapter because I wanted to release something to keep you tied over until I'm able to finish the first chapters of the three other stories I'm working on so expect them soon. Please be sure to check my poll and Happy Holidays! Please vote in my poll!


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